SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a new class of carbohydrate polyethers for chiral chromatography, by starting with levoglucogan produced from starch. In nine out of the top ten selling drugs, the active ingredient is chiral. The (2-3)-polyethers are unique because they have multiple contiguous chiral centers, which can be manipulated to form desired intermediates, with unparalleled optical integrity and the highest density of functional groups of all known molecules. Drug manufacturers seek new chiral stationary phases with high and extended chiral selectivity, high loading capacity, and ability to tolerate a wide range of mobile phases. To meet this need, epoxide monomers will be synthesized and polymerized into a 100% stereo specific chiral stationary phase for liquid chromatography of enantiomers. This polyether phase will be applied to silica supports and evaluated by leading chromatography equipment manufacturers. The commercial application of this project will primarily be in the manufacture of enantiomerically pure pharmaceuticals. Further impact of the proposed work will extend to drug purification, sugar separations, selective epoxidation, and controlled polymerization for a range of bio-refinery products

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project develops new chiral stationary phases for pharmaceutical purification. Drug manufacturers seek new chiral stationary phases with high throughput, extended chiral selectivity, high loading capacity, with the ability to tolerate a wide range of mobile phases. To meet this need, artificial saccharides will be synthesized and polymerized into a 100% stereo specific chiral stationary phase for liquid chromatography of enantiomers. These polymers have remarkable propertie such as stereo specificity, five asymmetric centers, functionality for tailoring phase/ligand recognition, extensive crosslinking capability, and ether bonding. This chemistry was demonstrated in Phase I and in Phase II will lead to a new family of chiral polymers to speed drug discovery and reduce the cost of drug manufacture.

The broader impact of this research will be to provide artificial polysaccharides to provide novel activities versus the natural products currently sold. Polysaccharides have multiple, chiral centers, unparalleled optical integrity; and the highest density of functional groups of all known molecules. Artificial polysaccharides are most readily functionalized and tailored to form desired chiral selectors. This project will molecularly design chiral selectors. The impact of this research extends beyond drug purification to sugar separations, high performance fibers, tissue scaffolds, and nano machinery